Honoring of the deceased remains a historic ritual for people of all cultures. The dead are honored in a variety of ceremonies, memorials, sacraments, and traditions. For many cultures and beliefs, remembrance of the dead may be expressed by visiting the locations of the remains of the deceased. Typically, these locations include cemeteries, mausoleums, columbarium, crypts, memorial buildings, etc.
As some religions and cultures practice what may be considered “traditional” rituals involving burial of the dead, others are open to alternatives to these practices that may manifest in a variety of ever-evolving options. Perhaps the most common alternative to burial of a physical body is that of cremation. Due the cost of burials, the limited amount of burial space, the unfavorable environments for burials, weather conditions, and other factors, cremation has become a favorable practice in modern society.
Physical burial of the deceased may not be available to all families living in areas that are ravaged by hurricanes, earthquakes, or flooding. Cemeteries can be destroyed and, in severe instances, remains buried in a cemetery may be inadvertently released into the environment, creating a variety of health hazards to the surrounding areas. This presents enormous public health and sanitation issues for some localities affected by severe weather patterns.
Further, cremation is also a popular choice for pet remains. When a beloved pet dies, many individuals choose to have the body cremated and the ashes stored in an urn or spread in a memorable location. This provides many owners with the comfort of having a special item or place for reflection.
Cremation occurs when the corpse of the deceased is burned using significant heat sources. When burned at extremely high temperatures, the corpse is reduced to carbon-based ash and fragments. Once the cremation is complete, survivors have various options for storage of the cremains. In some cases, ashes are spread and distributed in a designated area such as a memorable place or location. Here, the cremains become part of the natural environment. In other cases, the cremains may be buried or made into objects such as jewelry. However, the most common handling of the ashes tends to come in the form of storing the remains in a container or urn that is placed in a designated location. The practice of storing cremation urns at personal residences is common. Sometimes, urns may also be stored in mausoleums.